Leader of Les Engagés Yvan Verougstraete will begin formal negotiations with seven parties to draft a 2026 budget that limits the deficit to €1 billion and outlines urgent decisions and essential reforms.
The seven parties involved in the discussions include PS, Les Engagés, Ecolo, and DéFI for the French-speaking side, and Groen, Vooruit, and CD&V for the Dutch-speaking side.
Initial talks started on 12 December, and on Christmas Eve, Verougstraete presented the parties with a draft declaration and budget table.
Following bilateral discussions, progress was made towards a full-fledged 2026 budget and a Brussels majority, with negotiators given time until the end of this week to respond to these proposals.
Verougstraete announced on Thursday that he aims to begin formal negotiations next Tuesday and has requested the participation of Budget Minister Dirk De Smedt (Open VLD) to assist in drafting the budget and developing a list of reforms to be initiated in 2026.
Securing Open VLD’s support through Minister De Smedt would grant Verougstraete a majority on both the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking sides, enabling a new Brussels Government to gain confidence in the Brussels Parliament.
Structural reforms and politically challenging decisions are deemed necessary starting in 2026 to deliver a credible budget and put the Brussels region back on track, according to Verougstraete.
He stressed that these objectives are inseparably linked and critical to achieving fiscal balance.
He also underlined the importance of promptly starting negotiations to determine whether a workable majority can be formed, control the deficit, aim for a budgetary equilibrium, and restore the region to efficient service for its citizens.
CD&V ready to support
The CD&V will not participate in Verougstraete's coalition, but it is prepared to sign off on a new Brussels government if it presents an ‘acceptable’ reform programme, Flemish Christian Democrat MP Benjamin Dalle, who sits in the Brussels Parliament, said on Thursday.
Flemish Minister for Brussels Benjamin Dalle (CD&V). Credit: Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga
"The Brussels formation process has now been going on for 19 months. We must commend the determination of the formator, Verougstraete, who is continuing his efforts to break the deadlock in Brussels... However, the CD&V has decided not to participate in this coalition and will opt for responsible opposition,"said Dalle.
"In this context, we will focus on the essential priorities for Brussels: greater security, cleaner streets, a better activation policy, good governance and a healthy budget."
He said he hoped that the Brussels formator and his coalition partners would give ‘sufficient attention’ to these priorities during their conclave.
"If this conclave leads to the formation of a new government with an acceptable reform programme, the CD&V will not stand in the way of the government's installation and will sign the presentation documents," insisted Dalle. "This will prevent Brussels from remaining ungovernable. We are taking this decision in the interests of Brussels and its citizens."
He added that the CD&V will evaluate each proposal in Parliament, acting as a ’critical and constructive opposition".
"Our baseline is clear: structural consolidation of at least €1 billion by 2029 is essential, as are reforms aimed at more effective governance, greater security and cleanliness, better activation of job seekers and a strengthening of bilingualism," he concluded.
Verougstraete responded to the announcement by saying he "obviously regrets" CD&V pulling out of negotiations, but welcomed "the willingness to put the interests of the women and men of Brussels ahead of any other consideration."
"This is a clear call to political responsibility sent to us by Benjamin Dalle," Verougstraete said on social media. "It is up to the negotiators to rise to the occasion by proposing a sufficiently ambitious roadmap to save Brussels."
For Groen leader Elke Van den Brandt, "the path to a full-fledged government finally seems clear, with the shared ambition of implementing the necessary reforms in the short term."
Brussels urgently needs solutions to the financial, social and environmental challenges facing its residents, she insisted, adding that it is time to persevere together and keep our common goal in sight.
This story was updated.
